Bridling apparatus



April 1 1924. v

.' J. G. BAIN ET AL BRIDLING APPARATUS Filed April 12. 1922 4Sheets-:Sheet I Z/VVf/VTO/PS Joseph. G. Brain and Lag: I; M. 5.72m pelI541 73. QP'flfi April 1 1924.

J. G. BAIN ET AL BRIDLING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 12/NVEN7'0RS Joseph. 6.342172 0.11:4 [Junio /1; Sfempel by fl-Lairant-Tawney April 1-, 1924. 1,488,583'

' J. G. BAIN ET AL.

BRIDLING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheei: 3

Filed April 12. 1922 April 1 1924. 1,488,583

J. G. BAIN' ET AL BRIDLING APPARATUS Jo'seph- G'- Bain mm LMzhMSTem eIbq WW 7 ?atented Apr. 1, 1924.

masts 'EQT JOSEPH G. RAIN, O2 PETTSB'UPUGH, AND LASZLO M. STEM'PEL, 0FDORMONT, PENNSYL- VANIA, ASSIGNOR-S TO LEWIS FOUNDRY & MACHINE COMPANY,OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION" OF PENNSYLVANIAa BRCEDLINGAPPARATUS.

Application filed- April 12, 1922. Serial no. 551,766.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Josnrir G. BAIN and Laszro if. STEMrnL, bothcitizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Pittsburgh, inthe county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, and Dormont, in thecounty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a: new anduseful 1-mprovement in a Bridling A p yaratus, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to bridling apparatus for use in conjunction withrolling.

mills.

A general object of the invention is to provide bridling apparatus whichplaces under tension a strip of metal being passed through a rollingmill, while avoiding the labor and difficulty incurred in threading thestrip through stationary bridle bars.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide bridlingapparatus, of the nature noted above, which permits regulation of thetension under which the strip is held within wide limits in accordancewith the thickness and stiffness of the strip being rolled, or inaccordance with the nature of the metal of which the-strip is composed;

A further specific object of the invention is to provide for any desiredtensioning of the strip within such limits.

It is also common practice to roll out metal wires of round orrectangular cross section, and of varying cross sectional area intoribbons. It is desirable that such material, equally with strips besubjected to tension while being passed through the reducing rolls. Inthe art it is customary to' include such forms, as well as the flatforms called strips hereinabove, under the general term of bars.

A still further object of the invention is, therefore, to providebridling apparatusenr bodying the advantages mentioned above which maybe arranged or. readily adapted for use with bars of round or'rectangular cross section as well as with the flat barsmore specificallycalled strips.

In the accompanying draWingsFigure 1 is a side elevation, showing-thebridling a pparatus in position on thehousing of a rolling mill; Figure2 is a plan View of' the bridling apparatus; Figure 3 isa diagrammaticview illustrating the threading of a strip through the bridlingapparatus; Fig;

ures 4, 5, 6, and 7 are similar diagrammatic views illustratingprogressive steps in the tensioning of a strip which is being passedthrough'the rolling mill; Figure 8 is a front elevation or apparatusembodying the principles'of the present invention which is arrangedparticularly for the bridling of bars which are round or rectangular incross sec tion; and Figure 9 is a detail'elevation of one form of baradapted to use with such modified form of the apparatus.

In the drawings the reference numerals 1 and 2 designate the side orframe members of the brldle, which are secured in VGI'lLlO'fil ways 3 ofthe roll housing 1 by means of bolts 5, so that the bridle as a wholemay be adjusted vertically for. alignment Withthe reducing rolls 6 r ofthe rolling mill. These side members 1 and 2 of the bridle areinterconnected by means of an immovable bridle bar 7 disposed adjacentthe roll housing; and by'bri'd le bars 8' and 9, which are rotatablymounted in the side members 1 and 2-but which are otherwise immovablewith respect thereto.

Rotatably mounted inthe side frame. 1 of the bridle is short shaftlO'havin'gthereon the operating. handle 11 by means of which the shaftmay be manually rotated. Rigidly secured to' the short shaft 10 is asegmental rack 12, which meshes with a pinion 13 keyed or splined on themore outwardly dis posed rotatable bridle bar 9. On their opposite ends,beyond the other side member 2, the rotatable bars or shafts 8 and 9 areprovided respectively with the intermeshing pinions- 1 1' and: 15. When,therefore, the bar or shaft 9 is rotated by means of the meshing of thepinion 13 thereon with the segmental rack 12; the bar or shaft 8' isrotated in an opposite direction by means of the pinions 14: and 15.

The operating mechanism described immediately above is for the purposeof actuiii the bar 18 is mounted on the shaft 9, are shorter and fromarcs of greater curvature than the arms 17 by which the bar 16 ismounted on the shaft 8. Thus the bar 16 when swung describes the arc AA,while the bar 17 when swung describes the arc 'B'.B of lessertradiusthan the are AA.

opposite directions; and it will also be seen that the bar 18, mountedon the shorter and more curved arms 19, will'pass the point Ci at whichthe arcs AA and BB intersectbefore the bar 16 arrives at such point.

In use of the apparatus the strip of metal 20, which is to be rolled,may be led freely 7 through the various bars of the b idle and grippedby the reducing rolls 6. This position of the strip is illustrated inFigure 3 of the drawings; which shows the strip lying beneath thestationary bridle bar 7 and rotatable bridle bars 8 and 9, and lyingabove the swinging bridle bars 16 and 18.

When the strip 20 has been gripped by the-rolls the bars 16 and 18 areswung in opposite directions to contact and deflect the strip 20. Thisswinging of the movable bars 16 and 18 is effected by swinging theoperating handle 11, and thereby causing the segmental rack 12 to actupon pinion 18 for rotating the bar or shaft 9. Simultaneously the baror shaft 8 is rotated in an opposite direction because of theintermeshing of its pinion let with the pinion 15 on shaft 9. Thisaction obviously swings the bars 16 and 18 in opposite directionsthrough thearcs AB and BB.

Figure 4 of the drawings illustrates the beginning of the operationdescribed above; with the movable bar 18 already in contact with thestrip 20, and the other surface of the stripin direct contact with thebars or shafts 8 and 9.

Figure 5 of the drawings illustrates a position of the movable bars inwhich they are swung still further in opposite directions, with the bar16 also serving to deflect the strip 20. It will be understood that thisposition of the movable bars places the strip under a tension which issutlicient for certain grades and thicknesses of metal.

Figure 6 of the drawings illustrates a further progression of theswinging opera ure, owing to the greater deflection of the strip.

These positions of the arms are those which are desirable when thestrips being rolled are composed of aluminum or some other metal thesurface of which is subject to injury by excessive friction.

Figure 7 of the drawings shows the final position of the swinging bars,as shown also in dotted lines in Figure 1 of the drawings. In thisposition the bars 16 and 18 have been swung past each other, so that thestrip is brought into contact with itself to create a frictional dragagainst the pull of the rolls. It will be noted that this wrapping ofthe strip on itself is on the movable bar 18. It will be further seenthat throughout an area XX two layers of the strip are in mutualcontact, and that throughout the area X'Y three layers of the strip arein mutual contact.

If the movable bars '16 and 18 are swung into a position intermediatethe positions shown in Figures 6 and 7 two layers of the strip 20 may bebrought into mutual contact to create a frictiontional drag, withoutbringing three. layers thereof into mutual contact. Various otherpositions of the bars intermediate those actually illustrated may alsobe effected by producing intermediate positions of the swinging bars.

prise a locking pin 21, held in a bracket 22.

on the side arm 1 of the bridle and ar anged to engage between the teethof the pinion 13 to hold it and the bar or shaft 9 against rotation. Byholding the shaft 9 against ro tation, the shaft 8 is also held becauseof the intermeshing of pinion 14 thereon with pinion 15 011 the shaft 9.A coiled spring 23 in bracket 22 serves to hold the locking pin inengagement with pinion 13, and the locking pin is provided with a handle24 for withdrawing it from engagement therewith.

The apparatus described above is so arranged that the strip passingthrough the rolling mill may be placed under any desired tension orsubjected to either alight or heavy frictional drag. It is thus adaptedfor use in rolling metal strips of varying thickness and stiffness, andfor rolling strips composed of metals which vary widely in theirqualities and the manner in which they are most desirably handled.

The form of the apparatus illustrated in.

round or rectangular cross, section. For this purpose the apparatusshown in the preced ing drawings may simply be provided with bridle barswhich have thereinsemi-circular or rectangular grooves for receiving thebar to be rolled;

As shown-in this-figure of the drawings, however, the apparatus iscontracted and comprises bridlebars 7 8 9*, 16 and 18 oflesser lengththan the form designed particularly for the bridling: of flat bars orstrips,= because bars-of'any great length are unnecessary tor thepurpose for which this which it is intended, the threading of the-- baris accomplished asshown in the diagrammatic F igure 3 of the-drawings.The actual bridling is accomplished with the-movable bars 16 and 18 inthe positions shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6 of thedrawingsv Obviously itwould be impracticable to produce the frictional drag shown in Figure 7of the drawings, or produced by a position of the movable barsintermediate the positions illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 thereof.

The apparatus is strong, compact, and sim ple, and it may be readilyoperated by a simple movement of the operating handle in one directionto swing the movable bridle bars in opposite directions for securing thetension ing of the strip which may be most desirable for the speed ofthe rolls and the character of the strip being passed therethrough.

The advantages of the device as herein above set forth, together withnumerous other advantages, will be readily appreciated by those skilledin the art to which the invention pertains. As the device described andillustrated is, moreover, susceptible of a number of modificationswithout departing from the spirit of the invention embodied therein, thescope of the invention is to be restricted only by the limitationscontained in the claims appended hereto.

What we claim is:

1. In bridling apparatus for use in conjunction with rolling mills apair of bridle bars mounted and arranged to be swung in oppositedirections.

2. In bridling apparatus for use in con" junction with rolling mills apair of bridle bars mounted and arranged to be swung simultaneously inopposite directions.

3. In bridling apparatus for use in conjunction with rolling mills apair of bridle bars each mounted to swing about a dif ferent axis andarranged to be swung to-describe arcs of circles of different radius;whereby the barsmay; pass each other when swung 4. In bridling apparatusfor usein conjunction withrolling mills a pair of bridle bars mounted:and arranged to be swung in opposite directions, and means for simultaneously actuating said bars.

5. In bridling apparatus for use inconjunction with rolling 'mills apair of bridle bars mounted and: arranged to. be swung simultaneously inopposite directions, and meansfor locking saidzbars in adjustedposition.

6. In bridling apparatus for-use in con? junction withrollingmills avpair of bridle bars each mounted to swing abouta different axis andarranged tobe swungto describe arcsof circleso-f different radius,whereby the bars may passeach other when swung;

and means for simultaneously actuating saidba rs.

7. In bridling apparatus-for use inconjunction with'rolling mills a=pairof bridle barsmounted: and arranged to be swungin opposite directions,means for simultaneously'actuating saidbars, and means for look ing saidbars in adjusted position.

8. In bridling apparatus for use in conj unction with rolling mills apair of bridle bars each mounted to swing about a different axis andarranged to be swung to described arcs of circles of different radius,whereby the bars may pass each other when swung; means for actuatingsaid bars; and means for locking said bars in various positions alongthe arcs described thereby.

9. Bridling apparatus for use in conjunction with rolling millscomprising a plurality of stationary bridle bars, a plurality of movablebridle bars each mounted to swing upon one of said stationary bars as anaxis, and means for simultaneously swinging said movable bars.

10. Bridling apparatus for use in conjunction with rolling millscomprising a plurality of stationary bridle bars each mounted to swingupon one of said stationary bars as an axis and arranged to describearcs of circles of different radius when swung, and means for actuatingsaid swinging bars.

11.. Bridling apparatus for use in conjunction with rolling millscomprising a plurality of stationary bridle bars, a plurality of movablebridle bars each swingingly mounted upon one of said stationary bars,and meansfor actuating said movable bars.

12. Bridling apparatus for use in conjunction with rolling millscomprising a plurality of stationary bridle bars, a plurality of movablebridle bars each mounted upon one of said stationary bars and arrangedto be swung to describe arcs of circles of dif- &

ferent radius, and means for actuating said movable bars,

13. Bridllng apparatus for use in conjunction with the rolling millscomprising a plurality of stationary bridle bars, two movable bridlebars, arms whereby each of the movable bridle bars is mounted upon oneof said stationary bars, the arms by means of which one of said arms ismounted being longer than the arms of the other thereof.

let. Bridling apparatus for use in conjunction with rolling millscomprising a plurality of stationary bridle bars, two movable bridalbars, curved arms whereby each of the movable bars is swiiigeinglymounted upon one of said stationary bars, the arms of the differentmovable bars being of such relative length and form and so mounted onthe stationary bars that the movable bars may pass each other whensimultaneously swung in opposite directions, and means for actuatingsaid movable bars.

15. Bridling apparatus for use in conjunction with rolling millscomprising two rotatably mounted bridle bars, means and connections forsimultaneously rotating said bars in opposite directions, and two bridlebars rigidly mounted upon said. rotatable bars and arranged to be swungthereby.

reassess 16. Bridling apparatus for use in con junction with rollingmills'comprising two rotatably mounted bridle bars, connections for saidbars in opposite directions, and two bridle bars rigidly mounted uponsaid ro tatable bars by arms of difierent length; whereby said lastnamed bars are swung to describe arcs of circles of different radius.

17. -Bridling apparatus for use in conjunction with rolling millscomprising-two rotatably mounted bridle bars, means and connections forsimultaneously rotating said bars in opposite directions, and two bridlebars rigidl mounted upon said rotatable bars by arms of difi'erentlength, whereby said last named bars are swung to describe arcs ofcircles of different radius; saidarms being of such form and so 'mountedon the rotatable bars that the swinging barsmay pass each other whenswung in opposite directions. 7

In testimony whereof, we hereunto set our hands. 7

J OSEPHt G; BAIN. LASZLO M. STEMPEL.

Vitnesses:

V. E. BALLARD, E. B. WALTERS.

means and simultaneously rotatmg

